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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Jumping Ahead

Waiting and patience: these could
possibly be some of the hardest life lessons to learn. As believers, a large
part of our waiting is not on simple things
but on God’s timing. It does not matter what stage in life we are in: single,
married, pregnant, with a home full of little kids, with a home of unmarried
daughters, or other, there are times in which we are required to wait.

Part of waiting on God is in
trusting Him – putting our full expectations, dreams, and desires in His care
and leaving the results up to Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
(KJV)

Why do we need to trust God? “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your
thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) God has His special plan for each of our lives,
but to discover this plan, we must trust in Him, seek His face, and wait.

It is simple to say, “wait.” The
struggle comes with the application. The tempter will use deceitful lies to
entice us to jump ahead of God’s perfect timing. Our own excitement and emotions
will also cause us to neglect to be still and wait for God’s leading. But what
does God’s Word say? “Be still,
and know that I am God:” (Psalm 46:10)

We have a choice to “wait
patiently” or to “jump ahead.” There is a blessing or consequence depending on
the choice we make.

Some of the blessings of waiting:

God is good to us: “The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh
him.” (Lamentations 3:25)

It builds our trust in God: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my
expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence;
I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 62:5-6)

Some of the consequences of jumping ahead:

Leanness of the soul: “They soon forgat His works; they waited
not for His counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God
in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their
soul.” (Psalm 106:13-15)

God
will give us up to our own lusts:“But My
people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me. So I gave
them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”
(Psalm 81:11-12) and “They would none of
my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit
of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” (Proverbs 1:30-31)

Is waiting worth it? Absolutely!
Is waiting sometimes a struggle? Indeed! But I challenge you: “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14